<p>So now, how do you figure out what college you want to go to?</p>
<p>Think about your HS and figure out what characteristics you like academically/socially.</p>
<p>Think about the ways you learn best.</p>
<p>Read about colleges that seem to meet your requirements.</p>
<p>Visit nearby colleges and universities to see how each feels, you’ll get a better idea of what you like, even if you don’t apply to any of the schools you see.</p>
<p>Then, you can apply.</p>
<p>This is the short version…but I hope you can use it.</p>
<p>I think the OP is asking how you decide what school to attend after you’ve applied and been accepted. I could be wrong though.</p>
<p>Think about the visits you made–which schools did you REALLY like? My decision came down to two schools and I made a pros/cons list for each school and compared them. I know alot of my HS class did this same thing (list) in one way or another, most for 3-4 schools.</p>
<p>Things to consider:
Cost–is it realistic for your and/or your family?
Can you see yourself there for 4 years?
Social aspects–parties, campus orgs
Sports–fan or not? does a majority of the student body attend the games?</p>
<p>The one I wish I would’ve considered:
Which school offers more majors that would interest me if I choose to change? Alot of students change their majors and most are lucky enough to be able to change to another major on their campus. I was straight set on one major and didn’t consider any others when applying, now I’ve already dropped that major and am currently “undecided” although I know what I want to study. It’s just a matter of finding a school to transfer to, even though I dont want to leave because I LOVE my school.</p>
<p>Nah, Isleboy has it right. I have no clue where I should apply, and only a very vague idea of what I want in a college.</p>
<p>Hey Lablondie:</p>
<ol>
<li> How big is your HS?</li>
<li> Do you like the feel or is it too fragmented or too intimate?</li>
<li> How is the social scene?</li>
<li> Do you like it that way or do you feel like you want more choices?</li>
<li> Do you care about the weather, access to skiing, beaches, etc…?</li>
<li> Do you like being a big fish in a little pond or an average fish in an ocean?</li>
</ol>
<p>Just a few questions to get you going. I know it feels like everyone else already knows what they want, have a list, etc…but many also do not. I’d say to apply to a big UC campus, and a small one as a match/safety school…and figure out the specifics so you’re not stressing about the college thing. That way, you can ask yourself what you want, apply to other schools, and still be safe knowing you’ll at least have the option of attending a UC if you’re still unsure.</p>
<p>Personally, I tend to like LACs because I can get involved, and profs take an interest…people say “Hi” more, etc…that fits for me but not others.</p>
<p>Happy hunting.</p>
<p>Have you looked at the different college guides and online college search resources, like College Board, Princeton Review, etc. You can do searches to narrow down college lists by numerous factors, size, location, majors offered, ECs, financial aid, etc. and you can pull up school profiles to give you an overall view of each school based on all these different factors. College Board also features several articles about selecting colleges as well. Might be a good starting point. </p>
<p>As Isleboy suggests, visit different types of campuses to help you figure out what kind of campus best suits you. If cost is an issue and you are from Minnesota, you should consider some of the different state universities in Minnesota for your safeties (although many programs at U of MN Twin Cities are more difficult to get into) as well as some of the smaller LACs. Minnesota also has reciprocity with neighboring states so you can attend their state universities for the same cost as Minnesota and this opens to the door to many other safeties and matches as well, without going too far from home.</p>
<p>Obviously if you want to go outside the midwest it will take more time and effort to research your possibilites but if you have an idea about what local schools you like, you can also do searches on CollegeBoard to locate similar schools throughout the country. Also, be sure to talk to parents, friends, school guidance counselor, and teachers about their college experiences and get their suggestions.</p>
<p>Woops! For some reason I thought you were from CA. :)</p>
<p>I’d suggest UM-Twin Cities and UW-Madison as backups, along with a small college like Lawrence, St. Olaf, Macalester, and/or Carleton.</p>
<p>By visiting a few of those, you’ll also see what you like and don’t like with respect to size, location, social scene, and academics.</p>
<p>That is: </p>
<p>If you like UM-TC, you probably will like UIlinois-UC, UW-Madison, Indiana U, UIowa, UTexas, UWashington, Ohio State. Private ones would include: Northwestern, USC, Emory.</p>
<p>If you like Lawrence, you’ll probably like Mt. Holyoke, Macalester, Lewis & Clark, Agnes Scott (all women), Bates, Scripps (all women), Occidental, Whitman, URochester, Tufts.</p>
<p>If you like Carleton, you’ll probably like Grinnell, Oberlin, Reed, Wesleyan, Bryn Mawr (all women), Pitzer, Earlham, Smith (all women), Hendrix.</p>
<p>Keep in mind those are just quick examples.</p>
<p>I feel stupid now. Well atleast you’ll have somethings to think about when the time comes to decide which school to attend.</p>
<p>Good luck with the search!</p>
<p>
I get a list. I close my eyes. I poke the list. Whatever I land on, I’ll go there. Now there’s a foolproof method.</p>
<p>.-_-.</p>
<p>How can you suggest schools for her when you don’t know anything about her stats, interests, etc?</p>
<p>“Social aspects–parties, campus orgs”</p>
<p>Eh…from now on, don’t abbreviate organizations like that. It took me awhile to realize that that was what you meant and not something else.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This being CC, it’s usually a fairly safe bet to suggest schools like that.</p>
<p>“This being CC, it’s usually a fairly safe bet to suggest schools like that.”</p>
<p>especially for students from the upper midwest. This is actually a great starting list for many students in Minnesota (without knowing anything further about them) since they tend to approach choosing colleges very differently from students in other parts of the country and often choose to stay pretty much in their own backyards…</p>
<p>Thanks guys! Anyway, does anyone else have any other ideas?</p>
<p>Oh, and scansmom, I have been trying to look through the search engines. It’s just a bit confusing because I feel as though I’m too vague with my answers (I feel like I answered half of the questions with ‘doesn’t matter’), yet the most any college fits my criteria is around 60%. </p>
<p>I also feel that I can’t answer the questions more specifically. I feel that I could be happy with 1,000 other students or 10,000 other students. I like living in a rural area, but it might be kinda fun to live in a bigger city. I get along with most people, and I’ve never had a problem with fitting in or finding friends. I just don’t know.</p>
<p>La:</p>
<p>Maybe…you might want to think about going somewhere that is culturally different, since for many college is a “safe” time to explore…</p>
<p>Well good luck to you, La! Glad you took some time to check out those search engines, yeah I guess they are not much help if you do not have any real preferences. But there’s still plenty of time to figure out what matters to you (you’re NOT a sr yet, are you??!!). A couple more you might want to consider are St. Cloud State and UM-Duluth.</p>
<p>clendenenator…sorry about that lol. Didn’t realize it when typing but now that you mention it, it did look like something rather inappropriate ;)</p>